Making money online in 2023 is far easier than it was, back in the day, and I’m sure you’ve landed on this page wondering how to start freelancing as a student, so first things first!
Before you get started as a freelancer, you must have a strong portfolio, which again sounds like a Catch 22 situation, because you don’t have any clients yet, and wish to bag your first client. So, the best way to deal with this situation is to work for FREE for someone who has a big name in the industry, and take his/her testimonial.
Secondly, you must also create your own portfolio website/landing page, and showcase all your achievements, experiences, and testimonials, in order to impress a new client. And, once you have at least 4-5 good testimonials and strong recommendations, you can then take the next baby steps towards becoming a successful freelancer.
1. Go and Register on Freelancing Websites
There’s no dearth of options when it comes to freelancing sites, ranging from Freelancer.com, Truelancer.com, PeoplePerHour, Guru.com, Fiverr, SEOClerks, but don’t try your hands at too many places at a time. Remember, as a student, you’d have limited time available, so it’s critical to fix your work hours first, and stick to them religiously.
I strongly recommend trying max 3 freelancing sites at a time, and bid on approximately 20 projects each.
Yes, it can be a time-consuming affair, but it’ll increase your chances of bagging at least a couple of projects in the process.
2. Bid Only on Projects under Your Area of Expertise
First of all, define your areas of expertise and only bid on projects relevant to those topics/subtopics, and don’t get distracted by high paying opportunities initially. Once you bid, keep a close eye on replies from your prospect customer, and try to be available online over chat on respective websites like Fiverr – it’s almost the game of fastest finger first!
3. Don’t Negotiate Too Much During Your First 10 Projects
If you see a project ranging $100-250, then don’t try to bid over $120 initially, and then in subsequent projects you can then keep pushing up your bids to say about $150, then $170, and then once you’ve successfully completed at least a dozen projects, then you can start bidding $220-230, but still never put the highest bid of $250 in this example.
4. Always Commit Less & Deliver More
If you think, you can deliver 5 articles of 500 words in the next 24 hours, commit for only 4, and if you submit more, it’d always come out as a pleasant surprise to your client.
Now, on the other hand, if you promise 5, and manage to deliver 4, not only would it turn off your client, but it’d also close the doors to future collaboration.
5. How to Start Freelancing as a Student with Jus 4 Hours/day
If you’ve fixed availability as a student from say 2-6pm, you can also knock on the doors of startups and try to work as an intern. There are plenty of emerging startups who’d love to hire you and pay a fixed stipend of say Rs 4000-5000/month, which would also eliminate your tension of constantly bidding on projects, and getting the workflow in place.
This, in turn, can lead to significant improvement in your quality, and help you build a portfolio of 100s of articles under your belt. In certain cases, some startups may also allow you to publish the article under your own name online.
In a Nutshell
Having seen how to start freelancing as a student, you’re now all set to create your portfolio, and work for someone known, to get a few recommendations, and then eventually start bidding on projects, and making money online in 2023 as a content writer.
In case you feel, I’ve missed out on any critical points, feel free to drop in your comment, and I’d be happy to improvise this article constantly, and add your inputs.
And, to read many more such free guides, keep visiting Numerique Academy, attend our free live webinars, and keep an eye on the upcoming blogging & freelancing workshops